At Second Harvest Heartland, we believe our differences make us stronger. We draw strength from the unique experiences of each and every employee and our community. We aspire to foster an inclusive culture - in the way we interact with each other and in every area of our work. We commit to advancing equity to make Second Harvest Heartland a better place to work, to be a better partner and to inspire a community where equity is a driver to ultimately end hunger.

Join our team as a Media Relations Intern. This internship will be an integral piece of the communications and brand functions of the External Relations Team. Reporting to the Communications Specialist with support from the Director of Communications, the Media Relations Intern will help drive the hunger conversation, elevating issue awareness and inspiring community action to end hunger. The Media Relations Intern will support proactive and reactive earned media and thought leadership strategies, including media pitching, monitoring and reporting, event support and more.

Work Schedule:

• Total time requirement: October-May, approximately 12-20 hour/week.
• Days of the week: Days of the week for this position are flexible.
• Time of the day: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (flexible within these hours, some media eents may take place outside of these hours, intern participation optional).
• Work sites: Hybrid position with at least one day per week at our Brooklyn Park office.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Media Relations

• Support proactive media relations strategies, including:
  • Drafting or reviewing advisories and releases,
  • Creating target media lists using Meltwater,
  • Pitching and following up with target media,
  • Drafting briefs for spokespeople,
  • Supporting event/interview opportunity,
  • Following up with media and tracking coverage, and
  • Reporting out on and amplifying coverage.
• Support reactive media relations requests, including:
  • Drafting briefs for spokespeople,
  • Supporting event/interview opportunity,
  • Following up with media and tracking coverage, and
  • Reporting out on and amplifying coverage.

Media Monitoring, Research & Reporting

• Support reactive media relations requests, including:
• Drafting briefs for spokespeople,
• Supporting event/interview opportunity,
• Following up with media and tracking coverage, and
• Reporting out on and amplifying coverage.

Thought Leadership Strategy Support

• Support buildout of media relations plans within thought leadership strategies, including researching conference/event and award opportunities and drafting pitches.

Event Support (if/when applicable)

• Support media events, hosted at Second Harvest Heartland or external locations.
• Support speaker's bureau and event participation requests from internal teams.

Must Have:

• Knowledge of and experience working with the media to help tell stories (can include academic, internship or personal/volunteer experience).
• Interest in the role of media/earned media in telling stories and amplifying brands.
• Experience with external communications (blog posts, social media posts, news releases, etc.)
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate, including exceptional writing and grammar skills.
• Demonstrated exceptional customer service skills to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone is welcomed and valued.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, manage and follow through on multiple daily tasks and projects, including high attention to detail.
• Demonstrated familiarity with Microsoft Office, Office 365 and the ability to learn other computer software programs.
• Demonstrated creative mindset and learning attitude.
• Ability to work with flexibility, efficiency and enthusiasm, both individually and as part of a team in a fast-paced, high-demand environment.

Nice to Have:

• Experience with a media monitoring including use of tools like Meltwater or Cision.
• Experience pitching media and/or supporting media relations/events.
• Experience in the nonprofit, social services, emergency response field.
• Bilingual in other languages highly desired, (Spanish, Somali, Hmong).

Our Values:

• We deliver.
• We lead with our hearts.
• We innovate.
• We are all in this together.
• We believe our differences make us stronger.

Professional Development & Learning Objectives:

Learning objectives can be jointly developed between the chosen candidate and Communications Specialist and Director of Communications. Several possible learning objectives that fit within this position include:

• Understanding of media relations strategies and executions.
• Understanding of integrated marketing communications and the role of earned media in the paid, owned, earned approach.
• Experience within nonprofit sector and hunger-relief space.

Starting Pay Range: $15 - $20 USD hourly or more / Dependent on Qualifications and Experience.

Second Harvest Heartland is an EEO/AA Employer.

Second Harvest Heartland believes no one should ever go hungry, as our region produces more than enough food for everyone. Helping hungry neighbors find their next meal-so they can thrive at work, in the classroom and in their communities-is what drives Second Harvest Heartland, its partners and supporters. Beyond feeding hungry neighbors, Second Harvest Heartland believes in the importance of our work to help sustain our environment.